How to stop saying “um” so often.

By the Ace Coach team · Updated October 2026

First, “um” isn't the enemy

Everyone says “um”. Researchers who study conversation have found that “uh” and “um” do a real job: they signal to the listener that you are still thinking and about to continue (Clark and Fox Tree, Cognition, 2002). A few are normal and nobody notices them.

The problem is clusters. When fillers pile up at the start of an answer or right before your key point, you sound unsure of the thing you most want them to believe. The goal isn't zero. It's control, so that the pause sits where you want it and your strongest lines come out clean.

Drill 1: measure your baseline

You can't fix what you can't hear. Record yourself answering one question for a minute, such as “Tell me about a project you're proud of.” Get a transcript (most recorders and meeting tools make one) and paste it into the filler word counter with the length of the recording. Write down your fillers per minute and where they clustered.

Use a raw transcript. Many tools quietly remove “um” and “uh”, which makes you look better than you sound.

Drill 2: pause, don't fill

Answer the same question again, and every time you feel an “um” coming, close your mouth and stay silent instead. The silence will feel very long to you. To the listener it sounds like you are choosing your words. Two minutes a day of this rewires the habit faster than trying to catch yourself in a real conversation.

Drill 3: lead with the point

Fillers often come from starting before you know where you're going. Before you answer, decide your first sentence, and make it the point itself. When your first line is ready, there is nothing to fill. Record a second take and compare it with your first in the counter.

Make it stick

• Practice little and often. Two minutes a day beats an hour the night before.
• Watch the hot spots. The start of an answer and the line before your number are where fillers cluster.
• Swap “like” and “kind of” too. Hedges sound less obvious than “um” but cost you more credibility.
• Track it over takes. Seeing 5.1 a minute drop to 1.7 is what keeps you practicing.

Ace Coach does this loop for you. It counts every filler and hedge on the word, shows you where they clustered and gives you two-minute warm-up drills that target exactly the habit you have.